By Donovan Ortega
In Mike Huckabee’s new children’s book, Can’t Wait Till Christmas, he describes a devious childhood in which he opened presents before Christmas, played with them, placed the gifts back in their boxes, and re-wrapped them to fool his unsuspecting parents. It’s a true story. Huckabee recalls how instrumental his sister was to the operation.
“She was like a surgeon,” Huckabee told the Boca Raton Tribune. “It was completely undetectable. We did it for years.”
On Christmas day, Huckabee and his sister would have to put on Oscar nominated performances and act surprised as their parents looked on. But one Christmas, Huckabee’s father noticed that the supposedly new, J.C. Higgins football, was scuffed and muddied. The gig was up.
The anecdote originally appeared in Huckabee’s book of candid stories, A Simple Christmas. This particular tale received such an overwhelmingly positive response it was adapted to a children’s book. Can’t Wait Till Christmas is filled with fanciful and colorful illustrations drawn by Jed Henry.
“Jed did a great job. He made my family looked better than ever” joked Huckabee. “It’s a cute, fun story, but it’s really about patience.”
Huckabee takes this tale of childish mischief and spins into an overriding message about the true significance of the holiday season. The book illustrates how, a young Mike Huckabee—future radio and television personality, Governor of Arkansas, and candidate for president of the United States of America—learned something about relationships.
“When we’re so impatient for things to happen now, we miss out on the loving relationships around us. That’s especially important to remember this holiday season when families going through a tough American economy might not have everything they want,” said Huckabee. “Some of our best Christmas’ are the times when we just have each other.”
But in these difficult economic times, Huckabee seems to foresee some decidedly simple Christmas’ in America’s future, as he disagrees with current policy that believes the United States can spend its way out of a recession.
“Small business and Big Business owners are not sure what’s going to happen next year,” said Huckabee in reference to possible tax increases in the coming year. “There needs to be a moratorium on taxes for at least two years.”
When asked about the new Transportation Safety Administration’s new passenger screening techniques, Huckabee is clear.
“I am outraged by it. I challenge the President to take his wife and two daughters to Washington National Airport and undergo screening in full public view and then he can tell me that I have to subject my family to that. It’s a violation of the fourth amendment,” said Huckabee.
But even as Huckabee says he’s outraged, he has a calm, even demeanor as he speaks over the phone. It is easy to conjure up an image of him as a roguish boy throwing a football in the yard, nervously hoping his parents don’t come home to catch him. So, despite America’s floundering economy and the invasive security measures at the airport, Mike Huckabee will be having a simple Christmas surrounded by his family. He won’t even open his presents early.
Mike Huckabee will be in Boca Raton for a book signing on December 6th at the Barnes & Noble on Glades Road between 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Barnes & Noble
1400 Glades Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431